Door checking and holding device



Nov. 22, 1955 s. J. GALLA DOOR CHECKING AND HOLDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1951 SJGALLA INVENTOR. 56% 11 BY ala/W ATTOl-P NEVS Nov. 22, 1955 5, J. GALLA DOOR CHECKING AND HOLDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1951 SJ. GALLA INVENTOR 5C. 772 BY/Q ATTORNEYS United States Patent DOOR CHECKING AND HOLDING DEVICE Stephen J. Galla, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application April 18, 1951 Serial Na. 221,527

1 Claim. (Cl. 16-86) This invention relates generally to door checking and holding devices for motor vehicle doors.

The door checking and holding device of the present invention comprises an arm pivotally connected to the door pillar and extending through an opening in the jamb face of the door. The arm is provided with a checking portion adjacent its end adapted to engage a bracket mounted within the door. The bracket also supports a pair of rollers adapted to engage opposite edges of the arm. One of the rollers is carried by the fixed bracket and the other is supported upon a rocker arm which is spring urged toward the check arm. The edge portions of the check arm adjacent its outer end are so shaped as to cooperate with the aforesaid rollers to hold the door in its fully open position. The intermediate body portion of the check arm varies in width in a predetermined manner for cooperation with the rollers to counterbalance the tendency of the door to close due to the inclined hinge axis of the door. Adjacent the pivotal connection of the check arm to the door pillar, however, the check arm is diminished in width to eliminate the counterbalancing effect since during the final closing portion of the door travel the door is in engagement with the yieldable weather stripping around its edges and it is preferable to eliminate any additional resistance to the door closing movement.

In a modification of the construction, the bracket mounted within the door supports but a single roller and the check arm is yieldably held against this roller by means of a spring extending between the end of the check arm and the fixed bracket. 1

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a horizontal cross sectional view through a portion of a vehicle door and the adjacent door pillar, and showing the door checking and holding mechanism of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the door in its openposition.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken onthe plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a modified form of the invention, and showing the door in its closed position.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the door in its open position.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the reference character 11 indicates a motor vehicle door hinged to the adjacent body pillar 12 for pivotal movement about a hinge axis 13. Conventional hinge means can be used and are not shown in this drawing.

The wall 14 of the pillar 12 adjacent the jamb face 16 of the door is depressed and is provided. with an opening 17. As best seen in Figure 3, a U-shaped bracket 18 extends through the opening 17 and is provided with legs 19 suitably secured to the wall 14 of the door pillar adjacent the opening 17. The bracket 18 also extends through an opening 21 formed in the jamb face 16 of the door in the closed position of the latter as shown in Figure 1.

Located inside the door 11 and secured to the inner panel 22 and to the jamb face 16 of the door is a reinforcing member 23. The reinforcing member 23 is formed with an elongated opening 24 in alignment with the opening 21 in the jamb face of the door. Secured to the inner side of the reinforcing member 23 is a supporting bracket 26. As best seen in Figures 3and 4, the supporting bracket 26 is formed of two opposed V-shaped side members 27 each having base flanges 23 welded to the reinforcing member 23 and overlapping marginal flanges 29 suitably welded together. The two adjacent marginal flanges 29 are each provided with an elongated slot 31 generally in alignment with the slots 21 and 24. A pin 32 is carried by the side members 27 of the supporting bracket 26, and in turn supports an elongated carries a rubber bumper 3'7 and a steel washer 38 retained against outward displacement on the arm by means of a cotter pin 39. in the open position of the door as shown in Figure 2 the rubber bumper 37 engages the adjacent marginal flange 29 of the supporting bracket 26 and serves to check further opening movement of the door.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 and 4, it will be noted that the side members 27 of the supporting bracket 26 are formed with upstanding ears 41 adjacent one end thereof, each of said ears being formed with overlapping flanges 42 suitably secured together.

Located between the side members 27 of the supporting bracket 26 is a guide assembly 43. The guide assembly 43 comprises a U-shaped rocker arm bracket 44 pivotally connected to the supporting bracket 25 by means of a pivot pin 46. Intermediate the side walls of the Ushaped rocker arm 44 the pin 46 supports a bushing 47 which in turn supports a coil spring 48. One end 49 of the coil spring is seated against the adjacent flange 42 of the supporting bracket 26, as best seen in Figure 1, while the opposite end 51 of the spring extends through an opening 52 formed in the base of the U-shaped rocker arm 44. It will be apparent that the coil spring 48 exerts a force upon the rocker arm 44 constantly tending to rotate it in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Figures 1 and 2.

The opposite end of the rocker arm 44 carries a pivot pin 53 which rotatably carries an elongated roller 54 arranged to engage one edge of the check arm 34. Due to the spring 48, the check arm is always yieldably held between the rollers 33 and 54.

With reference no-w particularly to Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that the check arm is provided with an offset portion 61 adjacent its outer end. The offset portion 61 is integrally connected to the body portion 62 of the arm by means of a diagonal portion 63. The opposite side edges 64 and 66 of the diagonal portion 63 of the check arm are formed as cam surfaces of predetermined shape for cooperation with the rollers 33 and '54 in holding the door in its fully open position. It will be seen that the cam edge 64 adapted to be engaged by the spring urged roller 54 is in the form of an inclined ramp the angle of which is predetermined so as to provide the necessary resistance to closing movement of the door to Patented Nov. 22, 1955 hold the latter open against inadvertant closing yet to permit the door to be readily closed when desired.

The body portion 62 of the check arm 34 is provided with a straight edge portion 67 for engagement by the roller 33, while its opposite edge 68 is in the form of a ramp with the arm increasing in width from a zone A adjacent the inclined portion 63 of the arm to a maximum at an intermediate zone B (Figure 2). During the closing movement of the door, as the rollers move from the zone A to the zone B on the check arm, the rocker arm 43 must be forced back against the resistance of the spring 48, thus atfording a certain amount of resistance to the closing movement of the door. This resistance is desirable to partially or fully compensate for and counterbalance the natural tendency of the door to swing closed due to the fact that the hinge axis 13 of the door is inclined with respect to the vertical in an inward and upward direction as is conventional in many motor vehicle body constructions.

After the rollers pass the zone B of the check arm during the closing movement of the door, it will be noted that a reverse action is obtained due to the decreasing width of the check arm between the zone B and the pivot pin 36. During this latter portion of the closing movement of the door, the edges of the door are in engagement with the yieldable weather strip surrounding the door opening, and since this weather strip resists the closing of the door it is desirable to arrange the door checking and holding structure in such manner as to assist rather than resist the closing movement of the door in this range. This is accomplished by decreasing the width of the check arm so that the roller 54 is moved toward the roller 33 by means of the spring along an inclined portion of the check arm in such fashion as to provide a slight assist to the closing of the door.

Figures and 6 illustrate a modification of the invention. In this modified form, a bracket 71 is mounted upon the door pillar 72 and is pivotally connected by a pin 73 to a check arm 74 which extends through aligned openings in the jamb face of the door 76 and the supporting bracket 77 secured to the jamb face of the door on the inner side thereof. A pivot pin 78 extends between the opposite sides of the supporting bracket 77 and supports an elongated roller 79 adapted to engage the adjacent edge of the check arm 74. The end of the check arm is provided with a rubber bumper 81, a metal washer 82 and a cotter pin 83 as in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

The supporting bracket 77 is provided with an upstanding flange 84 at one end thereof with the flange being provided with an aperture 86v through which one end of a coil tension spring 87 extends. The opposite end of the coil spring 87 is hooked through an opening 88 in the end of the check arm 74 beyond the rubber bumper 81 and washer 82. It will be noted that the spring 87 serves to hold the check arm against the roller 79 at all times.

As the door is swung about its hinge axis 89 from its closed position shown in Figure 5 to its open position shown in Figure 6, the cam or ramp portion 91 of the check arm 74 engages the roller 79 to hold the door in its fully open position. Suitable closing pressure upon the door, however, is efiective to move the ramp portion of the check arm over the roller 79 against the action of spring 87 to return the roller to the body portion of the check arm and to permit the door to be moved to its closed position.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a motor vehicle body having a door and a door supporting structure, a supporting bracket within said door and fixedly secured thereto, a first anti-friction roller pivotally mounted upon said supporting bracket for rotation about an axis fixed with respect to said bracket, a second anti-friction roller pivotally mounted upon said supporting bracket for rotation about an axis extending parallel to the axis of said first roller but movable relative to said bracket and said first anti-friction roller, spring means associated with said second anti-friction roller yieldably urging said second anti-friction roller toward said first anti-friction roller, and a fiat check arm having one end pivotally connected to said door supporting structure and extending into said door and between said first and second anti-friction rollers with its opposite edges engaging said rollers, said check arm having a retaining portion adjacent its opposite end adapted to engage said second anti-friction roller to releasably hold said door in fully open position, said check arm also having first and second intermediate portions between its pivotal connection and its retaining portion, the first intermediate portion of said check arm commencing adjacent said first and second rollers in the fully closed position of said door and extending outwardly toward the opposite end of said check arm a relatively short distance and progressively and continuously increasing in width through its extent, the second intermediate portion of said check arm extending from the outer end of said first intermediate portion outwardly toward the opposite end of said check arm to a location immediately adjacent said retaining portion, said second intermediate portion progressively and continuously decreasing in width throughout its entire extent with its maximum width being adjacent the outer end of said first intermediate portion and its minimum width being adjacent said retaining portion, the length of said second intermediate portion being several times greater than the length of said first intermediate portion so that the engagement of said spring urged second anti-friction roller with said second intermediate portion of the check arm provides an assist to the opening of said door and a resistance to the closing of said door throughout the major portion of the door travel between its closed and open positions, and the engagement of said spring urged second anti-friction roller with said relatively short first intermediate portion of the check arm providing an assist to the closing of said door and a resistance to the opening of said door during the final closing movement of the door and the initial opening movement of the door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 346,194 Coultaus July 27, 1886 406,840 Jones July 9, 1889 2,032,600 Smith Mar. 3, 1936 2,268,976 Westrope Jan. 6, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,095 Great Britain Mar. 10, 1939 

